Sometimes I see flames And sometimes I see people that I love dying
by TigerlilyDaley
Summary: Where we go after death, how do the people still alive get through it, Pyrhha must find out the hard way


The flames engulfing her body were unwelcomed, unwanted and yet all too calming. They embraced her and took her from the world which had expected far too much A world that wanted her to save it.

But she needed someone to save her, and they had taken far too long.

In a way, the fire had saved her, her worries disappeared in the wind along with her ashes but she was still left wishing it hadn't meant leaving behind those she loved. That was harder to endure than any flame, any injury or pain. She didn't know how to she could leave them behind, would happily endure any pain to see them everyday, stay stuck in this world but the flames wouldn't allow it. Finally she could see that she had needed them as much as they needed her.

*Tug*

Her arm jolted to the side and she noticed how suddenly alone she was in the pure white world of the afterlife, but now there was a new addition. A thick rope wrapped in a knot around her arm leading away into the white, pulling her along.

*Tug*

It refused to let her ignore it anymore and pulled again. Accepting the direction she followed it away, into the white nothingness to her left. She walked through what felt like a curtain of mist and emerged in an identically bare room except for a bed in the middle, stained with blood and dipping in the middle under the prone bodies of Yang and Blake.

The shock of Blond and Black hair tangled together on the shared pillows in front of her, stained with blood.

"Yang! Blake! Please tell me you're alive!" she cried but got no response from them, instead a voice in her head, which was familiar yet somehow totally foreign rung out.

'You are seeing them as they are alive on Remnant'

She took a deep breath and let it out sharply as she saw the scarlet blood on Blake's stomach and on what was left of Yang's bandaged arm. They were alive. She shook her head fervently, Yang couldn't loose and arm, that was worse than death for her. But she was alive.

Blake was held onto her unconscious friend tightly, "Don't ever leave her Blake, never leave her." She willed desperately but the rope began tugging her arm again, taking her away from her damaged friends. "No! I need more time!" she yelled desperately and the girls reacted by lifting from the beds as though pulled by a rope wrapped around their hearts.

'You must let them go.' The voice had returned bearing horrid words. She fought back but that just made the girls silently scream in pain, their back bending unnaturally. This wasn't about her. This was about letting them live without her, helping them let go by letting go herself.

For them to move on and live she must forget them, turn her back and literally move on.

This hurt more than the flames as she turned around letting the rope lead her, one last look over her shoulder showed her the girls asleep peacefully again.

"Don't leave each other." She smiled through the pain, they could carry on without her. But now there was Weiss and Ruby.

A never lived memory rung through her mind. After the flames that took her, Ruby had stopped everything, had done what she couldn't, had saved remnant. But she was unconscious now, peacefully lying next to an equally unharmed Weiss and the Voice echoed 'Silver eyes'

Now standing next to them she could thankfully see that they were completely unharmed. "Ruby you are more powerful than you can imagine but you must not let people use you as a weapon. Let your friends save you and don't make my mistake, we all love you. They may need you more than they say"

*Tug*

The rope pulled sharply and she fought through her turmoil, determined not to cause them pain, they were too young and innocent for this world.

The fog happily engulfed her only to spit her out in front of her worst fears. Nora and Ren lay curled in pain next to each other, holding hands and each trying to hide their own pain from the other. She didn't know what to say, nothing had prepared her for this, they were never hurt, always there.

They always looked after each other. "But you shouldn't have too!" She cried out. "I should have kept you all safe!" She realised now how much Ren had looked after the group, how much Nora had kept them all smiling, yet she'd never really said thank you. "Thank you." She whispered knowing it would never make up for the times she hadn't said it.

*Tug*

"Thank you."

The tears began falling from her eyes like a river and she said the only thing she could think of, "Boop." Now she almost ran to keep them from the pain she would bring from staying.

'You must let them go or you will cause them pain.' The voice reminded her as she entered an area with only a metal table.

The large shearing scissors on top dragged her heart and hand down with their weight as she picked them up, seemingly the weight of every sorrow in the universe.

*Tug*

The table melted into fog and the rope pulled her round to a perfect bed, with a perfect crop of blond hair at the head of it.

No.

Not him.

She couldn't face him, she wouldn't face him.

She couldn't let him go.

She ran to him but was held half a meter away, arms outspread to hold him safe, kiss him, and cry on his shoulder about everything.

He was alive, but untouchable and she refused to remember that she was not.

"Jaune." She received no reply.

"Jaune!" She cried out, tears staining he clothes and in his slumber he seemed to mutter.

"Pyrrha," gentle enough so only she could hear him and it broke her, she broke so truly that it felt as though she had shattered like a mirror. This time she had too much to say, and it hurt her to say any of it, she still couldn't reach him so slid to the floor instead rocking and repeating his name as though it would make him stay forever, no matter how selfish that was.

"I love you Jaune." She managed to choke out and the words stung her heart and tongue, she could see what her death was causing in the living world.

She saw Jaune sat at home screaming into his hands, rocking like she had been and muttering her name as if it would make her come back. The Jaune in her world still ay silent but the one alive began talking where she could not.

"Pyrrha, I need you, come back! Please come back!" he cried and was pulled up sharply towards her as though pulled by the rope on his heart, her rope replied heavily and the voice rung out again.

'Cut the rope or he cannot let go, you must help him by letting go yourself Pyrrha.'

"Pyrrha!" he screamed, the end of the word fading to a pained moan.

She shook her head unwillingly, screaming into the nothingness and both Jaune's in the real world and in the hell she was in now, cried out again.

She looked at the large scissors in her hand, glinting menacingly and went to throw them through the air. But a strong had caught hers.

"Together." Jaune said, suddenly calm as she shook her head in protest. He looped the rope in their hands, the scissors resting perfectly in the loop but her hands refused to close them.

"Pyrrha, please for both of us." He smiled reassuringly and pressed his lips gently against hers for the second time, his hands pushed hers closed and the rope cut cleanly.

He disappeared.

She was left in the empty world by herself with her empty heart throwing empty screams towards no-one. "I'm sorry." Was the last thing she could manage before collapsing.

'You did well Pyrrha, I'm sorry you've had to go through so much but your friends are free now.' She had found the voice now, she had woken up to the ghostly of Ozpin who was neither in this world or alive, he seemed much calmer in this world than she was and it helped calm her too.


End file.
